


Swimming Pools

by Bright_Moon_Beam



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Abusive Sonia Kaspbrak, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst with a Happy Ending, Consensual Underage Sex, Eddie Kaspbrak Loves Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak is a Mess, Endgame Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Fluff and Angst, Good Parent Wentworth Tozier, Hate to Love, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Insecurity, M/M, Modern Era, Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, Oblivious Eddie Kaspbrak, Past Child Abuse, Richie Tozier & Stanley Uris Are Best Friends, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, Richie Tozier is a Little Shit, Richie Tozier is a Mess, Rivalry, Sonia Kaspbrak's A+ Parenting, Step-Brothers, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:49:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24366835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bright_Moon_Beam/pseuds/Bright_Moon_Beam
Summary: “Did you ever stop to think about how I feel about this?” Richie’s eyes were always emotive, but Eddie saw a wild anger there now that he had never seen before. It was such a serious emotion, and Eddie didn't know Richie was capable of it until this moment.“Poor Eddie moving in with the infamous Trashmouth,” Richie mocked, taking a step closer to Eddie who held his ground firmly despite his rising panic. “My life changed too you know, and if you were with me instead of against me, it would make this whole thing a hell of a lot easier. What do my feelings matter anyway? It’s not like I actually have any.” Richie’s laugh was hollow as he brushed roughly passed Eddie to escape to his room across the hall.Eddie had told Richie from day one that he would never be his step brother, but he never stopped to ask how Richie felt about this. Any of it.
Relationships: Ben Hanscom & Eddie Kaspbrak, Beverly Marsh & Richie Tozier, Bill Denbrough & Eddie Kaspbrak, Bill Denbrough & Mike Hanlon & Ben Hanscom & Eddie Kaspbrak & Richie Tozier & Stanley Uris, Eddie Kaspbrak & Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Mike Hanlon & Eddie Kaspbrak, Richie Tozier & Stanley Uris
Comments: 7
Kudos: 33





	Swimming Pools

**Author's Note:**

> Warning! There are Homophobic slurs in this chapter. I in no way agree with the use of this language.
> 
> Titles inspired by Troye Sivan's "Swimming Pools"

Eddie had never expected this day to come. He loved his mother of course, but he didn’t think anyone else ever would. Not only was she not what he would think is typically attractive, but she had a personality that often threw people off. She was a caring woman, but Eddie knew better than anyone else, that she took that concern to a level that exceeded most normal boundaries.

He never knew his father. He was gone long before Eddie started to retain any actual memories. He had always assumed that was that, and that he and his mother were always just going to be a mother and son duo. The idea of his mother getting back on the proverbial horse was so out of his realm of possibility, that when she first mentioned it, he thought she had been joking.

They had been sitting down to dinner. Eddie was sitting across from his mother, picking at the food that was left on his plate as she spooned another serving onto hers. He wasn't allowed to leave the table until they were both done, and Eddie was always the first one to finish. It had been that way for as long as he could remember.

"Eddie dear," Sonia started, looking away from her plate to meet Eddie's eyes. She had a nervous look that set Eddie on high alert, his fists clenching with anxiety under the table. "I need to talk to you about something serious."

Eddie nodded, praying it wasn't anything to do with him. When his mother had something serious to talk about, it usually always involved him and his health in some way. He looked a little pale so he must have a fever. His breath sounded a little more wheezy than normal, and she thought a trip to the hospital might be in the works if she didn't hear an improvement soon.

When he was younger, it had been much worse. The emergency room was like his second home, and he was going through inhaler refills like candy. As he matured, his mother had loosened up fractionally. The hospital visits were much less frequent, and he was given a little more room to breathe. Of course, Sonia was still Sonia and Eddie was still Eddie, and he was sure no matter how old he got his mother would worry about him and his health a little too much.

What she said tonight, however, had completely thrown him for a loop.

"Eddie, you know I never want to keep secrets from you, but I just didn't know how to tell you about this until now. Please don't be upset with me.” She reached across the table to touch his arm, and Eddie fought the urge to flinch. He nodded his head, becoming more and more confused by the second.”A few months ago I started talking to this man online, and he asked me to go out with him next Friday.”

Eddie’s eyes widened in what he assumed was almost a comical way, if his mother’s sour expression had anything to say about it. He hurried quickly to fix his mistake, even if he was still struggling to wrap his mind around this new information. “That’s nice mom. Of course I’m not mad just… you are sure he isn’t some creep?” He asked cautiously.

“Eddie, it’s sweet of you to care, but I would never do something like this if I wasn’t sure,” She took a bite of her food, and Eddie looked down at the table, staring at the pattern on the table cloth. “I happen to know this man lives right here in Derry. I have seen him around town quite a few times, and I have even made small talk with him once or twice.”

“Oh, alright… I hope it goes well?” He said awkwardly. He had no idea what the protocol for this sort of situation was, but as long as his mother didn’t get kidnapped or murdered, he didn’t have much of a problem with it. He seriously doubted that this fling would carry on much longer after this guy had a serious conversation with is mother, and if anything, it just meant he got a Friday night to himself for the first time in who knows how long. He should even thank the man. “

I should have known you would understand, Eddie-bear. You are such a good boy,” Sonia praised, standing up and grabbing both of their plates to take out to the kitchen. “You are excused now, Eddie.”

Eddie stood up as soon as the words left her lips, more than excited to get away from the sheer torture that this conversation was. He moved towards the stairs, rolling his eyes as his mother shouted at him as he went.

“Make sure you shower before you go to bed, Eddie! I love you!”

“I love you too!” He shouted back, before passing the

threshold into his room and shutting his door tight. Eddie loved his mother, but it was not the possessive kind of love Eddie’s mother felt for him. It was still unconditional. Even if she sometimes inspired a feeling that was close to hatred within him. He would never say he hated her. He was bitter about the kind of life she was forcing him to live, annoyed at the sound of her shrill voice that always played in his mind, but he loved her, and he didn’t believe you could hate someone you loved.

He was happy when she was gone though. After her first date with the mystery internet man, Sonia Kaspbrak went out almost every weekend for hours at a time. Eddie had been given full access to the TV and the internet which was a luxury most normal teenagers never gave a second thought.

He had also left a few times to hang out with Bill and Ben in Bills garage, something he had never gotten to do in the evening once. Ben’s mother had been the same way when he was younger, but when he got older his mom understood he was more responsible and mature. Eddie’s mother was still convinced that walking outside in the evening would give Eddie a terrible cold that he would struggle to recover from. Bill told him that was bullshit, and Eddie knew it was bullshit, but he still wore the jacket his mother always had hanging on the hook by the door for him when he left.

Even if he was so sure that a real relationship would be impossible for his mother, he prayed her weekend outings would never end, and he could finally entertain the idea of having a social life similar to that of most other 17 year old boys.

This unthinkable surprise had cut him a giant break until things were taken a step further, and suddenly not only was his freedom being revoked, but his entire sense of being.

His mother announced she wanted him to meet Wentworth one breakfast before school, and in his tired daze he agreed easily, scooping cereal into his mouth automatically per routine. Later in school, during algebra after he finished his practice problems it really hit him.

He had been watching Victor Criss bite his nails with disgust, knowing he was transferring the hundreds of germs from his mouth underneath his nails, and the hundreds of germs from underneath his nails into his mouth. That was when the name Wentworth flashed into his mind.

First of all, who had a name like Wentworth? He must be ugly or at least as overweight as his mother. No one called a child that they loved Wentworth, and now his mother was going to make him dress like a total dork, and clean the house extra good so Eddie could shake his hand and sit awkwardly. Then the guy would ask him all kinds of boring questions like where he went to school and what he was interested in. I

t was totally gag worthy, and at lunch he told his sad tale to Bill and Ben after taking a large puff from his inhaler.

"Maybe he will end up being really nice," Ben, who always tried to be optimistic supplied. Eddie had met Ben a little later than he had met Bill, but there was no doubt that he was just as good of a friend now.

Ben had the kind of personality people tended to look over. He was real quiet at first, but when you got to know him, he was actually really funny in a witty sort of way. He used to be real big when they were kids, not like Eddie's mother big (be described her in the category of huge) but big. Now that he was getting older though, Eddie knew he was working on taking his weight into his own hands and getting it under control.

Both Eddie and Bill admired him for it, but other than the occasional compliment or word of encouragement when Ben seemed to he having an extra bad day, they didn't speak about it. It just wasn't something they did.

"I want to believe you, but his name is Wentworth guys! Wentworth. Can you imagine someone named Wentworth being nice?"

"Eddie, I hate to s-say it, but anyone who can put up with your mom has to be nice," Bill said, his eyes gleaming with amusement.

"Shut up, man!" Eddie protested, taking a bite of his sandwich, chewing on it distressed before speaking again. "You guys just don't get it. It was cool when I got to breathe a little, but if I have two people around the house like my mom I might just lose my mind."

"Eddie, why don't you save the panic attack for after you actually meet the guy. Who knows. Maybe he will encourage your mom to loosen the reigns or something," Bill admonished. Eddie rolled his eyes, but he nodded because when Bill told you something you had to listen.

Bill had been and always will be Eddie's oldest and most cherished friend. He was the first person to not care that Eddie was small and had a scary mom who came into the school to yell at the teachers all the time.

Bill understood what kind of torment a person could endure for being different. Bill's life had never been easy. He had almost died in an accident when he was just 3 years old and ever since then he had a stutter. When they were kids, and things were going on at home that Eddie still didn't know the full extent of, Bill's stutter had become almost unmanageable. Eddie could understand him though. He was patient and good at deciphering half finished words, and he and Bill quickly became a pair of united losers. When they met Ben they became a little trio and then Mike. Mike went to another school, but they hung out a lot on the weekends and Eddie cherished them all.

Bill had gotten a lot of speech therapy since the ripe age of 12, and now he only stuttered on his s words, and that was even occasional. Despite his speech impediment, when Bill talked you listened, and Eddie knew better than to argue. Bill was almost always right and there was no point.

"If you say so. If he is a total creep though you both can't say I didn't tell you so when I go absolutely bonkers." Bill slapped his back jovially with a laugh, and Ben consoled him by handing over a tasty cake his mother always packed him that Ben had stopped eating. Eddie ate it… but still with a frown.

The dreaded day Wentworth was meant to arrive, Eddie was sitting on the couch in an itchy sweater he had changed into after he has mopped the kitchen floor and vacuumed the carpet in the living room.

His mother had been fussy all day about everything looking just so and Eddie's patience was already thread thin as he sat on their old couch and scrolled through twitter on his phone.

When there was a knock on the door, his mother almost bowled him over him in her haste to reach it. After she asked him if he was okay THREE times, she moved again to get the door. Eddie pulled on the collar of his sweater and fixed his hair that his mother has mussed when she had been fawning over him. Then he ventured out of the living room and into the entryway.

His mother took up a bulk of that entry way up, but there was enough room for both Eddie and Wentworth. Wentworth being a surprisingly fit and rather pleasant looking man. He was around Sonia's age and was balding, but when he introduced himself to Eddie and shook his hand, he seemed charismatic and shockingly normal.

Eddie wondered if he was dreaming as his mother ushered them both into the dining room while she plated and served dinner. Eddie sat stiffly in his chair as Wentworth got comfortable at the head of the table, his hand wrapped comfortably around the inhaler in his pocket.

"So Eddie, your mother tells me that you are a junior this year in school. Is that right?' Wentworth smoothed down the little hair he had left on his head, even though not a strand of it was out of place, and that was the first indication to Eddie that the man might be nervous as well.

"Yes, sir. That's right," he answered politely. He wasn't surprised that his mother talked about him when she was out on her dates. He didn't know of anything else that his mother put her energy into other than maybe daytime television.

"You might know my son then. He's in the same grade as you. I wonder if you have any of the same classes,"

"Maybe sir," Eddie said, his curiosity genuinely piquing. "What's his name?" If he knew that, then he knew to avoid this person at all costs for the rest of his life. The embarrassment of meeting him was just too much to stomach.

Wentworth opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by Eddie's mother as she walked into the room with two plates. "Two meals for my two boys," she said gleefully as she placed the food down in front of each of them. Wentworth thanked her with a laugh, and Eddie felt like he could use a good barf bag right about then before he blew disgusted chunks all over his pork roast and steamed vegetables.

His mother left then to get her own plate, and Eddie was about to ask Wentworth about his son again, feeling like the information was very vital, but his mother called out from the Kitchen.

“Wentworth, do you want to have some wine with dinner?” Eddie had not been aware they had wine in the house, and if he would have known, he would have drank some. What a bust.

“Sure, sounds good. I’ll help though. I wouldn’t want you to drop anything trying to carry that all in,” Sonia giggled like the girls in his history class did when Mr. kepler, the young student teacher, called on them. As she gave Wentworth the affirmative, Eddie visualized Bill’s look of disapproval mentally, to ward away the urge to vomit that came with every sweet interactions the two adults in the house had.

Wentworth, the hero, went into the kitchen a moment later, and as soon as he was out of sight, Eddie pulled out his phone to rapid fire text the group he had with Bill, Ben, and Mike.

_Wentworth isn’t big or ugly_

_He is bald though_

_And my mom is being all gross_

_I need a barf bag asap._

Eddie sent four puking emoji’s in the chat before his mom stepped up with her plate of food, Wentworth in tow with two glasses of red wine. Eddie dropped his phone in his lap instantly, not wanting to be lectured about having his phone at the table. Especially not in front to Wentworth of all people. Fucking Wentworth.

From that moment on, Eddie never got another word in. His mother made sure that Wentworth’s attention was on her. Eddie was more of a decoration than another person at the dinner, but his inability to speak wasn’t the only reason he felt like an object.

Just as he suspected, his mother’s favorite conversation topic was Eddie. How young Eddie was when he developed asthma. How she had to sit up with him many nights when he came down with unexplainable fevers. How she had to fight with his gym teacher in middle school about him participating. Wentworth heard that story like his mom was the hero. Eddie’s valiant protector who saved Eddie from the horrible backlash gym would cause to his delicate health. She didn’t tell Wentworth that Eddie had cried himself to sleep that night, half over the embarrassment he has endured at her tantrum and half at his now excusal from gym. He had been one of the fastest runners in the class, and he was so sure he could win the sprint that had been scheduled for the next weeks faux Olympics the gym class always put on.

That week of festivity, Eddie had sat on the sidelines, watching as everyone else had fun, silently taking the insults the older kids hurled at him.

The last day, the day of the sprints, Eddie had timidly approached his teacher. He pleaded with his teacher to let him run just one. The gym teacher, not a particularly nice man by any means, was even gentle when he refused Eddie. When Eddie saw the look in his eyes, he understood for the first time that his mother scared other people like she scared him.

He walked slowly back towards the corner of the gym he had been resigned to until they could find a study hall to force him into, and on his walk Henry Bowers decided to add insult to injury.

“Awe, mommy won’t let the poor little fag face run, huh?” Henry jeered, shoving his ugly spiky face way too far into Eddie’s bubble for his liking. Still, he tried to ignore it to attempt and spare himself. He started walking again, letting out a choked squeak when Bowers grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked him back.

“Don’t walk away when I’m talk to you, queer. Didn’t your whale of a mother ever teach you manners?” Eddie should have cried out for help. He should have made a run for it and escaped while he could, but a type of unquenchable fury burned in his stomach, and it burst out of his mouth before he could even try to stop it.

“At least my mom doesn’t beat up on me like your dad does. That cracked up mother fucker deserves to be in the nut house.” It was the most bold thing he had ever said in his life. In retrospect, it was a line he shouldn’t have crossed. Bowers had put kids in the hospital for saying a lot less, and Bowers probably would have him laid up there if it wasn’t for their gym teacher grabbing his arm before he could swing. E

ddie once again should have moved, but his eyes were transfixed on Bowers. His face was beet red, his teeth barred like a wild animal as he snarled, trying to worm his way out of the teachers grasp to sink his teeth into Eddie’s neck.

“I’ll fucking kill you! Do you hear me? I swear to God I’ll kill you.” It was like a train wreck, horrific but demanded ones attention, and Eddie couldn’t look away. As Bowers was dragged back like a feral dog on a leash, he made a terrible gurgling sound in his throat. The noise alone turned Eddie’s stomach, but what happened after was the most terrifying occurrence of the day.

The guttural gurgle has been nothing more than Bowers hocking a loogie the size of the state of Texas that he projectile shot onto Eddie’s face. The ball of mucusy spit landed with a resounding _splat_ on his cheek. Eddie saw stars, and he couldn’t even hear Bowers or coach anymore. The world was quiet, the only thing he was cognizant of was the slow slide of the glob down his cheek. It fell to the floor with another splat, but it left a cold trail on his cheek.

Eddie’s knees grew weak, and he staggered backwards, the world starting to tilt in different directions all at once. It was a sort of vertigo that left him feeling horribly ill, and to top it off, just like it always topped everything off, his asthma returned with a terrible vengeance. He clutched at his own chest, helplessly as his throat closed up.

In the excitement of a still livid Bowers being wrestled to the ground by a very red faced teacher, Eddies near death experience was going completely unnoticed. All his peers would rather watch the vein bulge on the side of coaches head as he tried to pull Bower's hands behind his back, than Eddie flop onto the floor sideways like a fish, digging desperately in his pocket for his inhaler even though he was starting to lose feeling in his fingers.

Eventually, he did remove the plastic tube and put it up to his lips, shooting the life saving mist into his failing lungs. After just one puff, his throat seemed to open and after a few minutes of Eddie wheezing on the floor, he was able to sit up in a daze.

Only then did someone spot him.

“Coach, I think Kaspbrak is dying!” A girl called out. Coach had already instructed another student to run and get the principle because Bowers was still kicking. Detaining him was obviously a two person job. Eddie faintly wondered if they would call the police if he didn’t stop wiggling like that. Like a worm. Eddie laughed a little at that thought, his head feeling as if it was a million miles away. High up in the clouds. That was all Bowers was. A worm. He ate shit and shit. That was it. He was absolutely full of it. Teaming with it even.

"Walk him to the nurse then!” Coach roared, his breathing labored. He was mumbling curses that Eddie could barely hear, but it didn’t matter much. The same girl approached Eddie with a look of disgust and reached out for his hand, helping him hobble pitifully down to the nurses office.

After the nurse had cleaned the dried spit off his cheek with a wet wipe, she insisted he lie down on a cot and no matter how much he begged, she still called his mother. 20 minutes later she was back in school for the second time in two weeks, yelling at the nurse for the incident like it was her fault that Eddie has lost his temper and gave unhinged Henry Bowers the biggest Fuck You the dumbshit had ever received in his life.

She had taken a taxi to the school because should couldn’t drive of course .She was sure couldn’t fit behind the wheel of a car, and Eddie was inclined to agree. She ushered a shaking Eddie into the back of said taxi and squeezed in with him, ordering the driver to take them straight to the emergency room.

Eddie has stayed over night then, his mother dutifully at his side. They normally didn’t admit little boys who got spit on to stay overnight at the hospital, but when little boys mothers' were like Sonia Kaspbrak and stirred up enough shit to give any doctor a headache, medical professionals were inclined to agree with said very concerned mothers.

Oh well.

Sonia left all the gory details of that encounter out of the story, but as surface level as it was, Wentworth listened to it all. Afterward he said something that Eddie would never forget. Something that made up for all of the gag fest material he had delivered earlier that night.

“He sure looks good now, Sonia. He may be a little short for his age, but he looks pretty strong to me.” It was meant to be a compliment to them both. A word of encouragement to Sonia that she was doing something right, and Eddie was getting better. He was getting healthy.

She didn’t take it that way though. Her cheeks puffed up like two balls of rising dough, and she sputtered out a reply like she had just been insulted.

"He looks better than he feels. That's something I have learned from the many years of being his mother." Her face was dreadfully serious, her neck turning an angry red color rapidly. Eddie twitched in his seat, and Wentworth looked confused, his eyebrows furrowing. He obviously didn't understand, but he let the subject drop with a nod and a sip of his wine.

Eddie understood perfectly why she felt that way though. To her, she didn't hear Eddie looking healthy as anything near to 'Eddie looking healthy". All she heard was that her sweet little Eddie didn't need her anymore, and that was something she would and could never stomach.

Eddie, on the other hand, took the man’s comment to heart because he wanted to believe it was true. He was getting better, that is, If there was anything wrong in the first place. It was just hard to always remember that when his mom was in his ears saying the exact opposite.

After that little hiccup, Wentworth started talking about his job and Eddie zoned out, forgetting all about asking for his son's name because of the whirlwind of emotions that had swept around the table . By the end of the night, Eddie just wanted to lay in his bed and play on his phone, so he was happy when Wentworth said goodnight to them both.

He gave Sonia a hug and Eddie another handshake along with a grin that almost seemed familiar. It was better than the look of pity often given to Eddie after people spoke to his mother. Refreshing even. Just like Bill said, Wentworth really hadn’t been that bad, and there had been no reason to be so anxious before. He knew had to text the group to let them know al

l was well because he saw that they had all responded to his rather hasty SOS messages with just at a quick glance at his lockscreen.

When Wentworth was out the door, Eddie was ready to bolt to his room, but his mom had never moved from the entry way. She stood, blocking the passage of escape up the stairs. Her expression was solemn. Eddie desperately tried to think of something he could have said wrong during the dinner to make her upset with him.

“Eddie,” She started, and Eddie braced himself, his fingers instinctively burrowing in his pocket for the comfort of his inhaler. “What do you think of Wentworth?” Sonia suddenly looked nervous again, and Eddie felt certain that what she was leading up to was monumental.

“He was nice.” He said simply, unsure of exactly what she wanted to hear. “It seems like he treats you nicely.”

“So you like him?” She seemed hopeful, a genuine kind of smile lighting up her face, and for the first time Eddie saw what he thought Wentworth might be seeing in her. At one time, his mom had probably been beautiful. She did have a pretty sort of face, and when she was smiling that forgotten beauty shined through. Eddie wished she would smile more around him.

“Sure, he’s not bad,” Eddie agreed. He wouldn’t mind seeing him around more, and he really wouldn’t mind if he took his mom out more.

“I’m so glad you feel that way, Eddie. So so glad,” her expression was almost dreamy, and Eddie was starting to get antsy. If she would move just a few inches, he could slip onto the stairs and make it to his safe haven. "Because Wentworth asked me an important question, and that made my answer so much easier."

"Mom-" Eddie felt his chest get tighter, and he fisted the material of his sweater over his heart in fear.

"I needed you to meet him first though. I needed to make sure he could treat you right and that he could understand how special you are Eddie and what you need because you aren't like his son," his mother rambled on, apparently oblivious to his distress for the first time in his entire life.

"Mom please I-" "Eddie don't interrupt momma when she is talking," his mom interrupted him, looking dreamily to the front door that Wentworth had left through a few minutes before.

"What I'm trying to tell you is that Wentworth asked us to move in with him, and after today I have decided to tell him yes."

Eddie wheezed and pulled his inhaler out, taking a puff as he gripped onto the stair railing. His knees felt weak, and he was sure he would fall to the ground without the support.

"Eddie!" His mother gasped, reaching towards him, closing in like a lioness on her prey. "Sweetheart what's wrong? Have you not been feeling well today?"

Eddie wheezed again frantically, feeling claustrophobic as he took another puff, trying to reopen his rapidly closing throat. He dodged his mother's attempt to pull him close, shaking his head rapidly at her question.

"It's just this house then. The ventilation isn't good." His mom said, narrowing her eyes. "This is exactly why we need to leave. Wentworth's house is much bigger. Much more open. You'll feel like a whole new person there. Now run off to bed and rest, Eddie. You look pale."

Eddie didn't need to be told twice, moving around his mother to hurry to his room.

He was still wheezing slightly as he crashed into his bed and pulled out his phone. He completely ignored the slew of messages from his friends because they no longer mattered and texted again.

_My life is over._

He dropped his phone after and shoved his face in his pillow, letting out a small scream of frustration before going limp.

The asthma attack had left him exhausted, and he didn't have the energy to think of all the reasons this was a horrible horrible decision. He just knew in his heart that he was not ready for everything to change, and it made him want to cry.

His mother was going to come up soon anyway to take his phone before she went to bed. She was afraid that having it, even in the room while he slept would cause cancer or an explosion, and he didn't want her to see him crying.

Even though he felt like it was a horrible, he didn't want his mom to see how upset he was because she was happy. For the first time in a long time, she was passionate about something that wasn't fussing over him, and even after everything she had done he wanted her to be happy. He wanted her to have what she wanted, no matter how unhappy he was sure it would make him.

He fell asleep before she struggled up to bed and dropped in for his phone. But when he woke up, his blanket was pulled over him snuggly, his feet tucked in to prevent them from getting cold.

So the entire next week he helped her pack up the entire house. He put things in boxes, and argued about how heavy of a box he could lift. He helped clean, and argued about how dangerous the cleaning chemicals were for him to inhale. Then he watched with as much feigned support as he could as Wentworth came and went, helping move everything over as well as get their house on the market.

In the end, Eddie was just being swept along like he always was, his life revolving around his mother and her wishes. His only personal mission was to figure out who Wentworth's son was. He had never found out during dinner, and after a very heated discussion about the possibilities at lunch where Eddie was teased for not knowing Wentworth’s last name, he had given up his search. He would just find out when he moved in as Bill pointed out.

This only added to Eddie’s list of anxieties, but eventually the day did come despite all his worries.

He had gotten into the back of Wentworth's car and sat with the last necessities they couldn’t take out of the house until they were fully moved out. The ride was a quiet one as they drove across town, the radio softly playing whatever came onto the oldies radio station that Wentworth had turned on.

Eddie had his hands clenched into fists in his lap, trying not to dwell on the fact that he would never see his childhood home again as his mother happily announced that they were home.

Eddie held tightly into the box he was carrying, refusing to relent it to Wentworth at his polite request to take it off of his hands. He needed something to hold onto as he started this new chapter of his life even if it was a cardboard box full of pills and toothbrushes. He followed after his mother and Wentworth slowly, his nerves intensifying at the thought of meeting the fourth member of the house.

He didn’t have to wait long either. As Wentworth was struggling to get his keys out of his pocket, the lock clicked by itself and swung open revealing a very tall, skinny, curly headed boy. He had a smile on his face. His eyes, magnified by his rather large glasses, were dancing with unheard laughter.

Richie Tozier.

A boy that Eddie never thought he would meet again.

**Author's Note:**

> Boy do I have ideas for this one :)


End file.
